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enLawmaker vents frustration with ANZ’s “horrible” servicehttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/lawmaker-vents-frustration-anz%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Chorrible%E2%80%9D-service
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Joyetter Feagaimaalii-Luamanu </div>
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<p>Tualauta Lawmaker Larry Sanitoa is calling for a House resolution pointing out to the CEO/Chairman of ANZ bank in New Zealand the territory&rsquo;s dissatisfaction with their overall services to our people, with a copy forwarded to the Federal Reserve System, FDIC and/or any other Federal or local regulator that oversees operations in American Samoa.<br />
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This was revealed in Sanitoa&rsquo;s email to his colleagues where Sanitoa stated there are numerous complaints by the public about ANZ services. Sanitoa reminded his colleagues that there was a committee hearing with ANZ officials last year that addressed numerous public complaints about their services.&nbsp;&rdquo;Branch Manager, Ms. Terese Salumbides and Mrs. Tasi Scanlon represented ANZ Bank at that hearing.&nbsp;<br />
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The bank officials promised and reassured the committee members that ANZ services will get better.&nbsp; &ldquo;A year later and overall their services have shown no improvement and are absolutely horrible for the lack of a better word, and overall very disrespectful to our people,&rdquo; Sanitoa said pointing out that he will be requesting a committee hearing to invite ANZ bank officials again to address these same concerns.&nbsp;<br />
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Details on this and an update on the bond issue and minimum wage in Monday&rsquo;s edition</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:43:08 +0000admin91444 at http://www.samoanews.comCategory 2 hurricane on track toward Hawaii Ishttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/category-2-hurricane-track-toward-hawaii
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<p>HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hurricane Guillermo is maintaining strength but is still expected to begin weakening as it approaches the main Hawaiian islands.</p>
<p>The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) said at 5 a.m. Sunday, Guillermo was located about 840 miles east-southeast of Hilo. It was moving toward the west-northwest at 13 miles per hour.</p>
<p>Forecasters said Guillermo's maximum sustained winds are still near 105 miles per hour with higher gusts, keeping it as a Category 2 hurricane. It is expected to remain a hurricane through Monday. It is still forecast to weaken into a tropical storm as it moves close to the islands beginning as soon as late Tuesday.</p>
<p>Currently, hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles. The latest forecast track from the CPHC continues to bring Guillermo very close to the main Hawaiian islands from Wednesday through Thursday night. However, it is far too soon to tell exactly what Guillermo will do, although there is currently a high probability that it will bring possible flooding rain to the islands.</p>
<p>Guillermo is expected to begin weakening tonight, as forecasters believe Guillermo's intensity has peaked and that the hurricane will be entering into an environment that isn't favorable for strengthening. Computer forecast models call for strong upper-level winds to strengthen near the Hawaiian islands, which would shear the top of the storm.</p>
<p>The forecast discussion from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said, "It is important not to focus too closely on the exact forecast track of the center of any tropical cyclone, including Guillermo." According to CPHC forecaster Sam Houston, "It is still too soon to determine with any certainty which islands would be most likely to experience the greatest impacts from Guillermo. It is also important to to note that significant impacts from tropical cyclones can extend well away from the center."</p>
<p>A High Surf Advisory will take effect at noon Sunday for east-facing shores due to a swell from Guillermo. At this time there are are no other coastal watches or warnings in effect.</p>
<p>The first aircraft from the U.S. 53rd weather reconnaissance squadron is scheduled to begin a reconnaissance mission into Guillermo later this morning. The data transmitted in real-time from these missions will help the CPHC better determine the location, intensity and size of the hurricane.</p>
<p>In a post on the National Weather Service and Central Pacific Hurricane Center's Facebook page, "A shift to the north or south could greatly influence the effects the islands will feel. We would like to remind everyone that now is the time to begin thinking about your disaster plan."</p>
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Regional NewsShow in SkyboxSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:27:09 +0000admin91443 at http://www.samoanews.comSoloali’I named to head Am Samoa Office in Hawaiihttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/soloali%E2%80%99i-named-head-am-samoa-office-hawaii
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Fili Sagapolutele </div>
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<p>In a July 29 memo, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga appointed Soloali&rsquo;i Fa&#39;alepo Fa&#39;alepo Jr. as director of his office in Hawai&rsquo;i - also known as the Amerika Samoa Office Hawai&rsquo;i (ASO-Hawai&rsquo;i) which was previously headed by Afimutasi Gus Hannemann, who passed away January this year in Honolulu.<br />
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According to the governor&rsquo;s memo, the appointment becomes effective today Aug. 1 and Soloali&rsquo;i will oversee the governor&rsquo;s office in Honolulu and shall be responsible to carry out the mandated functions for this office.<br />
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Additionally, Soloali&rsquo;i will carry out functions and responsibilities assigned to the Office of the Governor in Hawai&rsquo;i in compliance with local and federal laws.&nbsp;<br />
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Soloali&rsquo;i&rsquo;s appointment is not subject to Fono confirmation because the Hawai&rsquo;i office is a division of the Governor&rsquo;s Office.<br />
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After taking over the helm of government in January 2013, Lolo issued a memo outlining the mandated functions of the Hawai&rsquo;i office, and this includes facilitating the obtainment of travel visas for residents of Samoan ancestry in need of such assistance.<br />
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The office is also to liaison with Samoan communities or individuals requiring assistance from the state of Hawai&rsquo;i and the City and County of Honolulu &mdash; where the office is located. Additionally, assist residents from American Samoa requiring medical services in Hawai&rsquo;i; assist in locating places for patients to stay while attending to their medical needs during their stay in Hawai&rsquo;i; and provide assistance to all Armed Forces personnel in need of help from the state of Hawai&rsquo;i, City and County of Honolulu or from the Red Cross in American Samoa for family emergencies, which might require travel to the territory.<br />
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The office is also to provide assistance to all American Samoan students attending colleges and university in Hawai&rsquo;i and the mainland regarding their needs; and assist ASG directors in setting up appointments for meetings in Hawai&rsquo;i for both government and businesses.<br />
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One of the important functions of this office over the years is assisting American Samoans living in Hawai&rsquo;i get a copy of their birth certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics in the territory.<br />
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The Hawai&rsquo;i office, located about 10-minutes drive from downtown Honolulu, has an approved budget of $360,500 for the current fiscal year 2015, which ends Sept. 30, 2015, according to budget documents.<br />
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Soloali&rsquo;i had previously headed the ASG-Hawai&rsquo;i Office during the Togiola Administration. An ASG report released in early 2013 to the Senate on &ldquo;payouts&rdquo; to former cabinet directors and senior officials of the Togiola administration shows a payout of $28,047 for Soloali&rsquo;i.<br />
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Soloali&rsquo;i is well known within the Samoan community in Honolulu and had served as vice chair of the Samoan Heritage Week in Hawai&rsquo;i during Togiola&rsquo;s tenure. He also runs a Samoan television program on a public access TV station in Honolulu.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxSat, 01 Aug 2015 18:22:24 +0000admin91428 at http://www.samoanews.comLocal child with serious heart condition needs medivac http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/local-child-serious-heart-condition-needs-medivac
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Hawaiian Air cannot take him, and Hawai’i hospitals refusing case </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>&ldquo;Unfortunately, LBJ does not get involved with medivac arrangements because of financial reasons,&rdquo; was the explanation given by hospital Chief Executive Officer, Taufete&rsquo;e Faumuina in response to Samoa News queries with regard to the case of an eight-year-old boy who has been in the Intensive Care Unit for three weeks, fighting for his life as he suffers from heart problems, and cannot be taken on the Hawaiian Airlines.<br />
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The LBJ hospital and the parents of Klement &ldquo;Meke&rdquo; Pua&rsquo;auli are not giving up hope on getting a medivac to transport him off island for medical treatment. JoAnn Pua&rsquo;auli told Samoa News her son cannot travel on Hawaiian Airlines due to regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration and she has reached out to Congresswoman Aumua Amata for assistance.<br />
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Taufete&rsquo;e told Samoa News that he&rsquo;s met with JoAnn and Peua Pua&rsquo;auli regarding the medivac issue.<br />
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&ldquo;I had a phone call with Dr. Marrone (Chief of Pediatric Services) while the parents were waiting in my office to bring me up to speed on the medivac situation. Dr. Marrone has been in contact with Mr. Casey Brinck of Congresswoman Amata&rsquo;s office in DC about the medivac transportation.&rdquo; He further stated that the parents had already sought assistance from the Congresswoman&rsquo;s office as this is the only way to get this patient off-island because HA cannot do it.<br />
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According to Dr. Marrone, Mr. Brinck informed him that in order for the medivac to come, they needed to be assured that there is a receiving hospital on the other end, with the ambulance and EMS team ready to transport the patient directly to the receiving hospital.<br />
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He further explained that Dr. Marrone had been contacting the Kapiolani Hospital in Honolulu as &ldquo;that is the hospital which we normally contact for our pediatric patients&rdquo;, and Dr. Marrone also had contacted a hospital in San Diego (where Kapiolani referred some of its pediatric patients), however &ldquo;both declined our request&rdquo; for their own reasons.<br />
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&ldquo;At the moment, I have instructed Dr. Marrone not to give up, but to continue the search.&rdquo;<br />
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Samoa News inquired if the case of Meke falls under the Off Island Referral program and Taufete&rsquo;s replied &ldquo;our present off-island referral program only deals with cases that are approved by the off-island medical referral committee for round trip tickets &mdash; only to and from Honolulu. This case falls under the referral program except that HA cannot approve it, based on its own policies.&rdquo;<br />
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At present, LBJ continues to stabilize Meke until it hears from an accepting hospital off-island. Meke is the third oldest of six children from Alao who attends Marist St. Francis School. His parents have created a &ldquo;GoFundMe&rdquo; account, seeking financial assistance to help their son.<br />
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According to the mother, in times like these they will go to desperate measures for the ones they love, and they created an account with great hope that they can raise enough funds to pay for Meke to fly to Hawai&rsquo;i for medical treatment. She said her eight-year-old was a healthy and vibrant young boy when things turned for the worse three weeks ago.<br />
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Since then Meke has been in the ICU at the hospital, fighting to stay alive.<br />
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JoAnn said that according to doctors at LBJ, he has a condition known as Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) &mdash; where his heartbeat will, from time to time, speed up at an abnormal rate.<br />
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While the normal heart rate is 60 to 100 beats a minute, Meke&rsquo;s heart rate has reached 200 beats a minute sporadically over the last few weeks. He has been at Code Blue at least five times since being admitted and &ldquo;we fear his little body may not be strong enough to survive future resuscitation efforts,&rdquo; said his mother.<br />
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&ldquo;Since we do not have a Cardiologist on island, it is with humble hearts that we seek your donation/help in order for Meke to see a cardiologist in Hawai&rsquo;i. Since he hasn&#39;t been stable enough to fly on Hawaiian Air, our only other options are a military medivac or an air ambulance.<br />
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&ldquo;We are pressed for time as his condition seems be to be worsening every day. Our best option now is the air ambulance, but the cost is a stifling $134,000. We are hoping to raise money to put towards costs to send him to Hawai&rsquo;i and pay for medical costs. If you cannot donate, we appreciate prayers for him as well.&rdquo;<br />
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&ldquo;Thank you for taking the time to read this and we will update this page as his condition changes, hopefully for the better.&rdquo;<br />
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As of yesterday afternoon, the couple has raised $2,050.<br />
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You can help Meke by going on this website <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/helpMeke?fb_ref=Default" title="http://www.gofundme.com/helpMeke?fb_ref=Default">http://www.gofundme.com/helpMeke?fb_ref=Default</a>.<br />
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The San Diego-based site, GoFundMe has helped a lot of people, since it was launched on May 10, 2010, and has quickly become the World&rsquo;s #1 fundraising site for personal causes and life-events. Hundreds of thousands of people have raised over $1.25 Billion from 13 million donors.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxFri, 31 Jul 2015 16:58:50 +0000admin91414 at http://www.samoanews.comFaoa is legal counsel for Retirement Fund, hired by former board http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/faoa-legal-counsel-retirement-fund-hired-former-board
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<p>The former Retirement board hired former board member Faoa Aitofele Sunia as the fund&rsquo;s legal counsel last year, said American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund Director Luatua Filisouaiga Ta&#39;afua. who has been placed on 30-day annual leave.<br />
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This has also been confirmed by Acting Director, Caroline Wendt, responding to Samoa News queries, and while she and Luatua both declined to divulge his salary, several of the board&rsquo;s members confirmed that he&#39;s working on an $80,000+ salary per year.<br />
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Mrs. Wendt and Luatua were responding to Samoa News questions, after members of the ASERF &mdash; government employees &mdash; inquired as to when Faoa was hired, and how much is he being paid, per his contract.<br />
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Calls to Samoa News started when articles were published regarding allegations against the retirement fund Executive Director, on the use of the Chairman&rsquo;s signature rubber stamp for checks issued out of the Administrative Account without proper authorization. It was then that Faoa was mentioned as the Retirement Fund&rsquo;s attorney.<br />
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Responding to inquiries, some of the board members told Samoa News that it was Luatua who had hired Faoa. However, according to the director, who was placed on annual leave, Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga advised the board in early 2014 to employ its own in-house counsel, because &ldquo;the attorney general was too busy to provide legal advice to the fund.&rdquo;<br />
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The board was later summoned to the governor&rsquo;s office to meet with Lt. Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga who again instructed the board to hire an in-house counsel, Luatua said.<br />
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He told Samoa News that the board met, and approved hiring a counsel and the position was duly advertised in the Samoa News.<br />
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In response to queries about Faoa&rsquo;s salary, Luatua stated that &ldquo;salaries of other agency counsels such as LBJ, ASPA, DBAS and ASTCA were reviewed along with applicant&rsquo;s resumes and experience, to set a comparable level for the retirement fund counsel&#39;s salary.&rdquo;<br />
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Samoa News was told that the amount of the salary is private.<br />
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&ldquo;Fund members can find out matters they wish to know about their fund by inquiring from (sic) the fund office,&rdquo; said Luatua, who made it clear that Faoa&#39;s contract was approved by the previous board and signed by the former Chairman, Aleki Sene.<br />
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Samoa News notes that the position was advertised with Samoa News in May 2014.<br />
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Queries were sent to Faoa as to when he started working at the Retirement Office, however as of yesterday afternoon, the emails were not answered.<br />
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In the meantime, several Retirement board members have told Samoa News that Faoa sent out an email last weekend to the Chairman of the ASGERF, as well as to Fanene Scanlan and board members recusing himself from anything surrounding the investigation of misconduct and conflict of interest against the Executive Director.<br />
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According to board members, Faoa said that morally, he cannot guarantee that he will be totally unbiased throughout.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxFri, 31 Jul 2015 16:52:23 +0000admin91413 at http://www.samoanews.comTuumalo le afioga i le ali’i Senatoa ia Saole Milahttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/tuumalo-le-afioga-i-le-ali%E2%80%99i-senatoa-ia-saole-mila
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Ausage Fausia </div>
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<p>O le aso Lulu o le vaiaso nei na fa&rsquo;ateia ai le tapuaiga a le Fono Faitulafono, le faigamalo a Amerika Samoa, Itumalo o Saole faapea ai uo ma aiga, ina ua maua i ni ripoti le Tuua o le malo e le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Senatoa ia Saole Mila, ao i ai o ia i le aai o Seattle i le setete o Washington.<br />
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Na fa&rsquo;amaonia mai e le Fofoga o Saole mai le motu o Aunu&rsquo;u, le tofa a Fuiava Avaloa i le Samoa News ananafi, le tuua ai o le malo e le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Senatoa i le &lsquo;aai o Seattle.<br />
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&ldquo;O se tala e talia gata e le itumalo faapea ai le afioaga lenei tala fa&rsquo;avauvau ua oo mai, ina ua valaau le Atua i le Tama o lenei itumalo,&rdquo; o le saunoaga lea a Fuiava i se fa&rsquo;atalatalanoaga i luga o le telefoni.<br />
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&ldquo;O le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Senatoa ia Saole, o se tama e aga malie i soo se saofaiga a le itumalo ma le afioaga, e agamalu ae loloto le tofa ma le fa&rsquo;autaga o loo i ai,&rdquo; o le saunoaga lea a Fuiava.<br />
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&ldquo;O le a misia Saole e le itumalo faapea le nu&rsquo;u ma le aiga, ou te iloa fo&rsquo;i o le a matua misia o ia e le maota maualuga a le Senate i le Fono Faitulafono.&rdquo;<br />
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E le&rsquo;i mafai ona maua mai se saunoaga aloaia mai le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Peresetene o le Senate poo le sui peresetene fo&rsquo;i e tusa ai o lenei tala fa&rsquo;avauvau, ona o loo toesea uma i laua ma le atunu&rsquo;u i le taimi nei.<br />
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Na taua e se sui o le aiga ma le afioaga i le Samoa News e faapea, na fa&rsquo;atoa tuua e le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Senatoa ma lona faletua ia Taualaga le atunu&rsquo;u i le lua vaiaso talu ai, ina ua mae&rsquo;a le tatala aloaiaina o le tauaofiaga a le Fono i le aso 13 Iulai 2015, mo le fa&rsquo;amoemoe e asiasi i aiga ma fanau i fafo ona toe malaga mai ai lea i le atunu&rsquo;u.<br />
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E tusa ai ma le saunoaga a le tofa a Fuiava, ua i ai le fuafuaga a le aiga ma le fanau, o le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i Senatoa ia Saole e lagomau lava i fafo.<br />
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&ldquo;O lea ua taoto le finagalo o le Faletua, le aiga faapea ai le fanau, o le afioga i le Maopu ia Saole e lagomau i fafo i Seattle i le aai o loo i ai lona aiga, o loo faatalitali pea le itumalo ma le afioaga i se isi polokalame a le aiga i toe sauniga o le ali&rsquo;i senatoa,&rdquo; o le saunoaga lea a Fuiava.<br />
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Ao lei nofoia e Saole le nofoa o le itumalo o Saole i le Senate, sa tautua o ia i le Vaega o Fa&rsquo;amasinoga o se Fa&rsquo;amasino Lagolago, mulimuli ai loa filifilia o ia e lona itumalo e fai ma o latou sui i le Senate, o lana ulua&rsquo;i nofoaiga fo&rsquo;i lenei i le nofoa a le itumalo.<br />
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O Saole sa avea o ia ma Ta&rsquo;ita&rsquo;ifono o le Komiti o Mataupu tau Lotoifale a le Senate.<br />
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Saunoa le afioga i le alii senatoa ia Magalei Logovi&rsquo;i e faapea, o Saole o se alii senatoa e agamalu ma loto maualalo, e ui i le tele o taimi e fa&rsquo;aleo ai sona finagalo i ni isi o mataupu, ae lolo lava sona taofi i se fa&rsquo;aiuga e fulisia i ai le maota atoa.<br />
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Ia faamaise le Atua i le paia o aiga loto fa&rsquo;avauvau, ona o le motusia o le mafutaga ma lenei Tamali&rsquo;i o le atunu&rsquo;u.</p>
Le LaliShow in SkyboxFri, 31 Jul 2015 06:58:14 +0000admin91408 at http://www.samoanews.comRetirement Exec says investigation “all for show” http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/retirement-exec-says-investigation-%E2%80%9C-all-show%E2%80%9D
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Claims “government politics” involved </div>
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Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>The government&rsquo;s retirement fund Executive Director, Luatua Filisouoaiga Taafua believes that the investigation launched against him for &ldquo;misconduct and fraud&rdquo; is a backlash from last year&#39;s High Court case where the former Chairman stood up against Governor Lolo M. Moliga.<br />
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In a statement issued to Samoa News and signed by Luatua on Tuesday, he pointed out that the allegations are baseless. As of yesterday, the American Samoa Government Employee Retirement Fund (ASGERF) board has moved to place Luatua on leave with pay and appointed Assistant Director Caroline Wendt as Acting Director, pending the outcome of the investigation.<br />
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Earlier this month, ASGERF board Chairman Fanene Morris Scanlan, in a letter dated July 2, 2015, wrote to the ASGERF director that after reviewing the information given to him prior to and during a meeting with Luatua, his observations and recommendations were that questions on the use of the Chairman&rsquo;s signature rubber stamp for checks issued out of the Administrative Account without the proper authorization raised &ldquo;concerns for conflict of interest, ethical questions and abuse of fund&rdquo; and in closing asked for his resignation as &ldquo;CEO of the Retirement Fund given the circumstances.&rdquo;<br />
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Luatua in his statement, issued yesterday, said &ldquo;for many years I have faithfully served the people of American Samoa as an employee of the American Samoa Government Employees&rsquo; Retirement Fund. First, as an assistant director of the Fund, and now as Executive Director, I served under former Chairman Aleki Sene, Sr., and now under Chairman HC Fanene Morris Scanlan.&rdquo;<br />
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He said that throughout those years he has seen the Fund grow from what it used to be, to what it has now become, calling it: &ldquo;One of the most prosperous pension plans of its size in the nation.&rdquo;<br />
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Luatua added, &ldquo;That was something that took hard work. It took dedication and commitment to the people the Fund was meant to serve. I do not claim any responsibility for the Fund&#39;s success, I claim only the honor I had to work with those people who led the Fund with wisdom and foresight and who turned it into what it is today.&rdquo;<br />
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He stated that the events of last week have &ldquo;honestly left him sad.&rdquo;<br />
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&ldquo;Not just because I am being accused of misconduct and fraud, but more so because of the manner by which this whole process is being turned,&rdquo; Luatua stated.<br />
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He said during the late Governor AP Lutali&rsquo;s first term, the Fono with the recommendation of the ASGERF Board, enacted new legislation that totally removed the Fund from the ASG and its politics. Back then, ASGERF funds were co-mingled with ASG funds in the general account. The ASG Treasurer and the Human Resources director were ex officio members of the Board, and the Governor held sway over the Board and its decision-making. The 1984 laws changed all of that and the Fund was left to the Board to run, Luatua notes.<br />
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&ldquo;I bring this up for historical purposes, but also to underscore the fact that after 31 years of success and independence, the Fund is being handed back to the ASG and the Governor.<br />
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&ldquo;It has become obvious from the correspondences of the last week that Government politics is (sic) becoming the main motivator behind this so-called investigation. In a way I was expecting it as a backlash from last year&rsquo;s High Court case where the former Chairman stood up against the Governor and his efforts to disregard the law when he failed to consult the Board with his new appointments.<br />
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&ldquo;These allegations of fraud and misconduct are baseless,&rdquo; he states.<br />
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Luatua said in his statement, it is unclear to him what Chairman Fanene and some members of the Board are pointing to as fraud and misconduct, &ldquo;I am pretty sure that external forces have not missed the opportunity to blow it out of proportion in order to make a mountain out of a molehill.&rdquo;<br />
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He said, &ldquo;an investigation by the Department of Public Safety was recommended by the Governor, and just this morning I was informed by the Samoa News that an independent auditor is being called in.<br />
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&ldquo;As a former DPS Commissioner always said: &lsquo;It&rsquo;s all for show&rsquo;.&rdquo;<br />
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The fund director stated that the Fund is successful because its members trust those who manage their money.&nbsp;<br />
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&ldquo;Having held a position of trust for many years, and realizing that Fund members have a right to know what is happening, I would like to say to them the following:<br />
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&ldquo;For many years I have worked as a humble servant. I did my best for you because I know you did yours for the people of American Samoa through your service as Government employees.&rdquo;<br />
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He continued, saying the Fund is secure, it is sound, it is strong and told the members to keep their faith in the people who run it and realize that whatever misunderstandings or issues that are now being circulated and misstated, that &ldquo;your money is in good hands.&rdquo;<br />
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Luatua, addressing the government employees, said: &ldquo;I have never dishonored you as a Fund employee, and when liberated from these charges, I shall continue to serve you faithfully, honestly and with integrity, as I have always done.&rdquo;</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:36:49 +0000admin91390 at http://www.samoanews.comVice chair of Hospital Board weighs in on LBJ issues http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/vice-chair-hospital-board-weighs-lbj-issues
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Says wrong info: “means …our own members will stab us when we are not looking” </div>
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Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>Vice Chairman of the Hospital Board, Dr. Victor Tofaeono says in an email addressed to the Chairman of the LBJ board, Mase Akapo as well as Samoa News, and cc&rsquo;ed to LBJ&rsquo;s Chief Executive Officer, Taufete&rsquo;e Faumuina, on Tuesday evening, that due to the &ldquo;erroneous remarks&rdquo; by board member Faimealelei Anthony Allen, this means &ldquo;we as a board need to watch our backs &mdash; that our own members will stab us when we are not looking.&rdquo;<br />
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He was referring to Faimealelei&rsquo;s remarks informing Senators earlier this month that the travel authorization for Tofaeono was initially denied by Taufete&rsquo;e, however the hospital&rsquo;s board chairman overturned the decision.<br />
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The vice chair stated that the &ldquo;emails from Joyetter, and the information being spread by a member of our board to the Fono and public media, are a clear indication to me of the need for a Compliance Program at LBJ and a serious education program for our Board Members on the need to protect PHI (personal health information) mandated by the HIPAA law.&rdquo;<br />
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Tofaeono pointed out that it is &ldquo;difficult to understand why Faimealelei could not check and familiarize himself with the guidelines for the Off Island Referral program, and check his information about Mase&rsquo;s and my off-island referrals before going public with his erroneous remarks. This obviously means that we as a board need to watch our backs &mdash; that our own members will stab us when we are not looking.&rdquo;<br />
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The vice chair states there is a need to be aware of the HIPAA law and what it stands for, the privacy it protects, and the penalties it imposes on anyone that violates its mandates, and said this should be an important part of their agenda for next month&rsquo;s meeting.<br />
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In his email, Tofaeono also noted that there is a need for the hospital board to start looking at strategic plans within the next five to ten years &mdash; plans such as board goals, missions, policies and procedures, as well as recruiting for medical staff educated in America who are familiar with US legal medical issues.<br />
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He also stated that there is a need for insurance so the hospital budget &ldquo;is consistent with our medical care needs and priorities, rather than the usual reduction of our budget, which is how we have struggled for the past several years &mdash; by drinking champagne on a beer budget.&rdquo;<br />
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The vice chair further spoke of the need for Quality Assurance and guaranteed surveillance of the hospital&rsquo;s medical staff (CEO, CMO, etc.), utilizing evidence-based research and results.<br />
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Tofaeono said, &ldquo;They need to get off the ground and work on improving the healthcare of all US Jurisdictions and American Samoa.&rdquo;</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:32:14 +0000admin91389 at http://www.samoanews.com Local sports development must include effort from allhttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/local-sports-development-must-include-effort-all
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Ausage Fausia </div>
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ausage@samoanews.com </div>
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<img class="imagefield imagefield-field_photo" width="450" height="513" title="Amerika Samoa Sports Minister at the XV Pacific Games, Jonathan Fanene.
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<p>&ldquo;Enough talk, it&rsquo;s time to put all the talk into action,&rdquo; was the strong message from the American Samoa Sports Minister for the XV Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea, Jonathan Fanene, when Samoa News asked him about his next step to develop sports in American Samoa for international participation.<br />
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Fanene said preparation for the the XVI Pacific Games in 2019, as well as the Olympics in 2016 and the Mini-Games in Vanuatu are happening now &mdash; not two months before the competition.<br />
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In an exclusive interview with Samoa News this week, Fanene, who is also the Director for the Department of Youth and Women Affairs said that after witnessing a lot of the problems that Team Amerika Samoa faced in Papua, he thought that it&rsquo;s time for him to do everything possible&nbsp; to make sure those problems will not happen in the future.<br />
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&ldquo;&hellip;even though it was my first experience for the Pacific Games &mdash; to witness it and be with the Team &mdash; I believe that leaders, sports associations and everyone who want to help develop sports in American Samoa should stand together, develop them, and encourage our youth to be part of these activities,&rdquo; said Fanene, who represented American Samoa at the Fourth Pacific Sports Ministers Meeting, hosted by PNG during the XV Pacific Games.<br />
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<strong>AFTER THE XV PACIFIC GAMES</strong><br />
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After returning from PNG, Fanene and his office have made a special effort to visit each sports association on island, to check on their preparation, and to see what assistance they need from the government.<br />
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Fanene said that even though the American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) is responsible for encouraging local sports associations to develop their respective sport, and push them to compete in tournaments and test how good our athletes are, he believes that government leaders also have the same responsibility &mdash; to make sure each sports association develops well and successfully, and all athletes are in good form anytime they represent American Samoa.<br />
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&ldquo;The truth is, American Samoa owns the flag that these athletes are representing at the Pacific Games, not the ASNOC, so the burden is on the government and its leaders, and that&rsquo;s why I made a quick move after returning from PNG, to start developing every sport for our youth, because I believe that&rsquo;s the only way we can do good at each Pacific Games&mdash;to start our preparations now, over the four years &mdash; not two months before the Games start,&rdquo; said Fanene.<br />
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&ldquo;One of the most important things (to me) is for leaders and sports associations to work together to develop our youth. I know there&rsquo;s a lot of youth, who have the talent out there, but we lack working together with them and developing their talents.&rdquo;<br />
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Fanene continued, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of challenges I faced while in PNG. I heard a lot about too many words these years&mdash; but no action. I&rsquo;ve seen the needs from our athletes. I&rsquo;ve been in their shoes and I know exactly what they want from us, the leaders, so after consulting with some of our sports officials and coaching staff, I know that it&rsquo;s time for me and the government to step up and do something.<br />
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&ldquo;Put a stop on talking and wasting the air, it&rsquo;s time to do more action and look at ways to develop our youth for every sport!&rdquo; he stated.<br />
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<strong>AGREEMENT WITH SAMOA</strong><br />
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In response to his own question: &ldquo;How can we develop sports if we don&rsquo;t have more competitions to test how good our athletes are?&rdquo; Fanene has confirmed that his Office has signed an agreement with the Samoa Youth and Sports Office, for a special competition in eight sports on January 2016, to test how good our athletes are, and to prepare them for future international competitions such as the Pacific Games and the Olympics..<br />
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&ldquo;After I returned from PNG, we then signed an agreement with Samoa for a friendly competition, to test how good our athletes are, and to make sure our athletes are well prepared for the next Pacific Games in 2019, and also for the Mini Games in Vanuatu in 2017,&rdquo; he said.<br />
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Fanene pointed out that &ldquo;this is one of the problems I&rsquo;ve noticed since Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga appointed me as the Sports Minister.&nbsp; There is a lack __in our preparation, and we don&rsquo;t have competition for some sports to test how good our athletes are, so signing this agreement with Samoa will give some sports associations that...test ... to give our athletes the green light to make sure our sons and daughter are well prepared to represent American Samoa at the Pacific Games level.&rdquo;<br />
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Fanene said that a friendly sports meeting will start up with all nine sports American Samoa used to compete in, at the Pacific Games, and by the end of next year, there will be more sports to add to this competition.<br />
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&ldquo;This friendly sports meeting next year between the two Samoas was part of the Samoa Talks&hellip; and this is one of the positive outcomes of these meetings. So, we&rsquo;re looking forward to develop more and more sports for our youth, so that we can compete in all sports at the next Pacific Games,&rdquo; Fanene concluded.<br />
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A local sports official and coach told Samoa News that in order for American Samoa to have good teams to compete at the Pacific Games, like the women&rsquo;s volleyball team and beach volleyball team who won gold medals, they need to have certified and well trained coaches, who can train our athletes in the standard of play expected at the Pacific Games level.<br />
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And, how can the government fulfill its dream to develop every sport, if there are not enough facilities on island for training for our youth? asked other sports officials and coaches. &ldquo;We now have facilities for some sports such as Weightlifting, Judo, Wrestling, Rugby, Tennis, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Softball &mdash; but no swimming pool, no volleyball or basketball courts.&rdquo;<br />
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<strong>SPORTS DEVELOPMENT</strong><br />
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Fanene told Samoa News that Governor Lolo has agreed to allow use of the DYWA gym in Pago Pago as another training facility for other sports which are willing to develop and be part of the XVI Pacific Games in Tonga.<br />
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&ldquo;All we need are certified coaches who can assist our youth in developing these sports. So, who ver has the talent to coach our teams and train our youth, we&rsquo;re asking for your support&hellip; Let us work together to develop our youth for every sport,&rdquo; the DYWA director said.<br />
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In his comments, Fanene thanked Governor Lolo and the Administration for the $50,000 donation to Team Amerika Samoa for the XV Pacific Games. He also thanked the parents of all the athletes who represented American Samoa at the Pacific Games, for trusting them to take care of their children.<br />
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&ldquo;I would also like to thank all the coaches and players who came a long way from the States to represent Amerika Samoa at the Pacific Games. Thank you for your great effort, which makes us proud, and for everyone who put up an effort to assist our team in many ways. May God bless you all,&rdquo; Fanene said.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxWed, 29 Jul 2015 17:36:35 +0000admin91374 at http://www.samoanews.comHistoric meeting set for Tuna Treaty renegotiationhttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/historic-meeting-set-tuna-treaty-renegotiation
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Fili Sagapolutele </div>
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fili@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>Fresh negotiations will be underway next week in Brisbane, Australia to hopefully reach a new agreement on the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, which was first implemented in 1987 between the U.S. government and Pacific island countries.<br />
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As previously reported by Samoa News, an interim agreement was signed last October between the U.S. government and 17 Pacific Island nations &mdash; as members of the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) &mdash; which allowed the US purse seiner fleet to fish in the exclusive economic zones of FFA members.<br />
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The interim agreement, which is only valid for 2015, links US aid to access to Pacific Island Parties (PIP) fishing grounds. Currently the U.S. pays $90 million in aid and rent. The federal government pays $21 million and the industry &mdash; mainly boat owners &mdash; pay $69 million, according to an ASG report in April this year.<br />
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In a statement Monday night, San Diego-based South Pacific Tuna Corporation says the Treaty meeting is set for Aug. 3-5 and it will be historic as members of the U.S. distant water tuna fleet, and representatives from the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce will meet with fishery officials from the 17 member Pacific Island Parties (PIP&rsquo;s), and representatives of the FFA in an effort to work towards solutions to extending the 26-year partnership.<br />
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Although the financial challenge continues to escalate for all fishing vessels in the global fishery community, South Pacific Tuna Corp executives say it is critical that the industry continue to address and support the U.S. government in these efforts.<br />
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&ldquo;In providing economic assistance to all participating PIP&rsquo;s, the Treaty is a visible demonstration of the ongoing commitment to the region,&rdquo; said J. Douglas Hines, executive director of South Pacific Tuna Corp., which represents 14 purse seine vessels under the Treaty.<br />
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Hines says the company has considered comments of the parties; including those of Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) along with many members of the PIP&rsquo;s, the US government and Industry after the latest round of meetings in Fiji and &ldquo;will work towards maintaining our decades long commitment.&rdquo;<br />
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&ldquo;We are not ready to give it up as some would hope, and as the largest member of the US fleet we retain our dedication to long term fishery conservation and partnership with our Island partners,&rdquo; Hines said, adding that it&rsquo;s critical to solidify a 2016 agreement. &ldquo;Now is not the time to be short sighted; it is the time to commit to the Treaty and to our Island partners in the Pacific.&rdquo;<br />
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San Diego-based American Tunaboat Association executive director Brian Hallman confirmed to Samoa News that he will be attending the Brisbane meeting, along with 8- 10 other boat owner representatives &mdash; including those from the South Pacific Tuna Corporation.<br />
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&ldquo;The highest priority for ATA will be negotiating 2016 access arrangements for the U.S fleet for waters of the Pacific island countries that are parties to the tuna Treaty,&rdquo; he said yesterday.<br />
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Responding to Samoa News inquiries, Tri Marine International said they usually attend these meetings as part of the American Tunaboat Owners Association, which represents all US flagged purse seiners fishing in the Western and Central Pacific under the Treaty.<br />
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&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have any specific message to share at this time or any details about who, if anyone, may be attending on our behalf,&rdquo; said Tri Marine, which operates a locally based US flagged purse seiner fleet and the Samoa Tuna Processors Inc., cannery.<br />
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Perhaps the biggest concern for Tri Marine pertaining to the Treaty, as cited in its petition to the federal government requesting an exemption to allow the US purse seiner fleet to fish in high seas, is that the South Pacific nation of Kiribati &mdash; whose EEZ contains prime fishing grounds north of American Samoa &mdash; has refused to allow US vessels access to its waters for more than 300 fishing days for 2015, after allowing 4,313 fishing days the year before (60 percent of all US flag fishing days in the region).<br />
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&ldquo;US purse seine vessels based in American Samoa are now denied access to much of their traditional fishing grounds because of this breakdown in prior Treaty arrangements,&rdquo; says Tri Marine.<br />
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At the conclusion of its meeting last month in Honolulu, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council says it recognized that the combination of the US high seas purse-seine effort limits by the international Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the removal of historic levels of fishing days in Kiribati waters available under the Treaty may result in a reduced supply of tuna offloaded directly to the Pago Pago canneries by US purse-seine vessels.<br />
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The Council has recommended that U.S. National Marine Fishery Services and the State Department improve the current terms of the Treaty with regards to Pago Pago-based US purse seine vessels.<br />
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U.S. State Department official Judith G. Garber told the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs in May that their department leads U.S. efforts to revise and extend the terms of the Treaty and explore other ways to ensure economically viable fishing access to waters under the jurisdiction of Pacific Island parties.<br />
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She says the parties met most recently in March 2015 to discuss renegotiation of the Treaty, as well as fishing access opportunities for the U.S. purse seine fleet in 2016. &ldquo;We remain committed to working with the Pacific Island parties to achieve an outcome that meets the economic objectives of both sides and contributes to an effective and transparent conservation and management regime,&rdquo; she said, according to a copy of her testimony on the U.S. Senate website.<br />
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The March meeting was led by the State Department and American Samoa was included as part of the federal delegation. Representing American Samoa were Commerce director Keniseli Lafaele and Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale - and the trio provided the governor with a report in April this year from the renegotiation meeting. (See Samoa News edition of Apr. 17 and 21 for details).<br />
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Samoa News wasn&rsquo;t able to confirm at press time if ASG will again join the federal delegation at the Brisbane meeting.<br />
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In its fiscal year 2016 budget submission to the U.S. Congress, the State Department says it will use $21 million to meet an annual commitment under the Treaty and the associated Economic Assistance Agreement (EAA).<br />
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The Treaty is an important regional agreement in the Pacific, where the US is working to continue to strengthen relationships, according to the State Department&rsquo;s budget justification document, which also says that the U.S. commitment under the Treaty and EAA is fulfilled through funding support to the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency, which distributes the assistance to countries in the South Pacific.<br />
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This assistance supports sustainable use of fisheries&rsquo; resources, increased food security, and enhanced relations with Pacific Island states. It also benefits the U.S. economy by promoting access for U.S. vessels to some of the most lucrative fishing grounds in the world, which in turn support employment opportunities for Americans.<br />
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&ldquo;Failure to make this payment could remove the primary source of U.S. economic assistance to most of these small island states and result in Pacific Island nations denying fishing licenses to U.S. vessels,&rdquo; it says.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxWed, 29 Jul 2015 17:28:57 +0000admin91373 at http://www.samoanews.comTeena Fa’amasinoga talosaga a Fiaui mo le $260,000http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/teena-fa%E2%80%99amasinoga-le-talosaga-le-loia-siaumau-jr
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<p>Ua teena e le Vaega Iloilo o le Fa&rsquo;amasinoga Maualuga le talosaga atoa na fa&rsquo;aulu e le ali&rsquo;i loia o loo tula&rsquo;i mo Siaumau Siaumau Jr, mo se poloaiga a le fa&rsquo;amasinoga e toe teuteu ai lana poloaiga sa tuuina mai muamua i le mataupu a Siaumau Jr i ni tausaga ua mavae, e fa&rsquo;amatu&rsquo;u atu ai i le Ofisa o le Loia Fautua le $260,000 e fesoasoani ai i gaioiga o loo faia mo le finauina lea ma le puipuia o aia tatau a le ua molia, mai tu&rsquo;uaiga mamafa a le malo o loo faia fa&rsquo;asaga ia te ia.<br />
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O le fa&rsquo;aiuga e teena ai le talosaga a Siaumau Jr, lea na tauala atu i lana loia fautua ia Douglas Fiaui, na faia lea e le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i fa&rsquo;amasino sili lagolago ia Lyle L. Richmond, faapea ai le lagolagosua a le afioga i le ali&rsquo;i fa&rsquo;amasino lagolago ia Mamea Sala Jr.<br />
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O le fa&rsquo;aiuga a le fa&rsquo;amasinoga fa&rsquo;asaga i lenei mataupu, na tu&rsquo;uina mai lea ina ua mae&rsquo;a ona fa&rsquo;afofoga ali&rsquo;i fa&rsquo;amasino i le talosaga a Fiaui, atoa ai ma le tali a le malo sa fa&rsquo;aleo e le tama&rsquo;ita&rsquo;i loia ia Mitzie Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase.<br />
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Na taua Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase i lana tali, e le logo malie i le malo le talosaga a Fiaui ua taoto i luma o le Fa&rsquo;amasinoga, mo se poloaiga e fa&rsquo;atonu ai le faigamalo e tu&rsquo;u atu ni isi tupe fa&rsquo;aopoopo mo ia, a&rsquo;o ia o se tagata faigaluega a le malo.<br />
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Fai mai Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase, e sa&rsquo;o le fa&rsquo;afinauga a Fiaui, o le aso 3 Aokuso 2010 na faila ai e le malo sana talosaga i le fa&rsquo;amasinoga, mo se avanoa e fa&rsquo;asala ai Siaumau Jr i le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti.<br />
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&ldquo;Ae ui sa talosagaina e le malo le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti i lenei mataupu, peita&rsquo;i sa toe faila e le malo sana talosaga mulimuli ane e toe fa&rsquo;aleaogaina ai lana ulua&rsquo;i talosaga mo le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti,&rdquo; o se vaega lea o le tali a Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase i le fa&rsquo;amasinoga.<br />
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O Siaumau Jr o loo tu&rsquo;uaia i moliaga mamafa eseese e aofia ai le fasioti tagata i le tulaga muamua, e mafua mai i le fa&rsquo;alavelave lea o loo tu&rsquo;uaia ai o ia i lona tagatavaleina o le ali&rsquo;i leoleo suesue ia Det. Lt. Lusila Brown i le masina o Iulai 2010.<br />
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Na fa&rsquo;amanino e Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase i luma o le fa&rsquo;amasinoga e fa&rsquo;apea, e le o toe i ai lava se manatu o le malo latou te toe finauina se fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti fa&rsquo;asaga ia Siaumau Jr, poo le toe taumafai fo&rsquo;i e fautuaina le fa&rsquo;amasinoga mo lea ituaiga fa&rsquo;asalaga, pe afai ae ta&rsquo;usala le ua molia i le aso o lona fa&rsquo;amasinoga autu.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Na faailoa atili e Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase i luma o le fa&rsquo;amasinoga e fa&rsquo;apea, o le vaega tupe lea na poloaina e le fa&rsquo;amasinoga i le aso 22 Me 2012 e tuu atu i le Ofisa o le Loia Fautua, sa faia ma le manatu ia mafai e le Ofisa o le Loia Fautua lea sa tula&rsquo;i mo Siaumau Jr ona maua aoaoga faapitoa ma talafeagai, e puipuia ai aia tatau o Siaumau Jr ao feagai ai o ia ma le talosaga o le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti.<br />
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Sa taua fo&rsquo;i e Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase e faapea, e ui o lea ua toe fa&rsquo;aui i tua e le malo la latou talosaga mo le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti, o lea lava e finau mai le itu tete&rsquo;e fai mai, o loo aofia ai pea i lalo o fa&rsquo;asalaga o loo fa&rsquo;atula&rsquo;i mai e le tulafono le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti faasaga i le ua molia, o le mafua&rsquo;aga fo&rsquo;i lea e talafeagai ai ona toe tuuina mai lenei vaega tupe mo le itu tete&rsquo;e.<br />
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&ldquo;O le matua sese lava o lea auala ua fa&rsquo;aalia e le itu tete&rsquo;e latou te fa&rsquo;amatalaina ai le tulafono,&rdquo; o se vaega lea o le fa&rsquo;afinauga a le malo.<br />
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&ldquo;Talu ai ua faaui i tua e le malo lana talosaga mo le faasalaga o le oti, lona uiga e le o toe i ai se faanaunauga i le malo e toe aapa i lea talosaga, e le o fa&rsquo;amalosia fo&rsquo;i i lalo o le tulafono le fa&rsquo;asala o le ua molia i le fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti.&rdquo;<br />
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I le manatu ai o le itu tete&rsquo;e o le mataupu fa&rsquo;asaga ia Siaumau Jr, o se tasi lea o mataupu e pito ese lona maualuga ma le ogaoga i lenei vaitau, e le avea lea ma itu e manatu ai le malo latou te toe talosagaina se fa&rsquo;asalaga o le oti.<br />
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&ldquo;O lea ua savali atu nei i le 4 tausaga, 11 masina ma aso o sauniuni mai le itu tete&rsquo;e mo lenei mataupu, ao lea fo&rsquo;i ua latou toe sauni e talosaga i le fa&rsquo;amasinoga e toe tolopo le aso o lenei fa&rsquo;amasinoga, o se itu ua le talafeagai tele lea, fuafua i le isi mataupu lea o loo latou finauina, o se vaega tupe fa&rsquo;aopoopo lea mo i latou,&rdquo; o le saunoaga fa&rsquo;ai&rsquo;u lea a Jessop-Ta&rsquo;ase, ma ia talosagaina ai loa le fa&rsquo;amasinoga ina ia teena le talosaga a le itu tete&rsquo;e mo le fa&rsquo;amatu&rsquo;uina atu o le vaega tupe sa poloaina muamua e le fa&rsquo;amasinoga, fa&rsquo;atasi ai ma le isi talosaga ina ia teena le isi fuafuaga a le itu tete&rsquo;e e talosaga i le fa&rsquo;amasinoga e toe tolopo atu i luma o le aso e faia ai le fa&rsquo;amasinoga autu o lenei mataupu.<br />
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I le fa&rsquo;aiuga a le fa&rsquo;amasinoga, na teena ai e ali&rsquo;i fa&rsquo;amasino vaega uma o le talosaga a le itu tete&rsquo;e.</p>
Le LaliShow in SkyboxWed, 29 Jul 2015 07:11:34 +0000admin91363 at http://www.samoanews.comHospital chair: Off Island Referral is for everybody http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/hospital-chair-island-referral-everybody
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Including them ... </div>
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Joyetter Feagaimaalii-Luamanu </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Taufete&rsquo;e John Faumuina has confirmed that there are board members who are traveling on the Off Island Referral Care Program and they are Chairman Mase Akapo and Vice Chairman, Dr .Victor Tofaeono.<br />
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The CEO was responding to Samoa News questions following calls to our office that one board member has gone off island on the Referral Care Program four times.<br />
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Samoa News was not told which board member has traveled four times, but Mase responding to our inquiries &mdash; noted that bylaws for the program &ldquo;allow a person to travel only twice for the same reason.&nbsp;However, one can travel&nbsp;for another reason if the service is not available locally.&rdquo;<br />
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Samoa News pointed out to the Chairman that there have been a lot of complaints by the public and hospital employees that board members are among those who utilize this referral care program, while patients have been denied.<br />
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Mase told Samoa News that the Referral Board makes the determination of who qualifies to utilize the referral program and all referrals are based on their determination regardless of who you are.&nbsp;<br />
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He continued, &rdquo;You can obtain a copy of the&nbsp;guidelines on how the Board makes their determinations from the Referral Board itself.&nbsp;<br />
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&ldquo;The guidelines are available, however for your information, personal information is protected by laws and should never be revealed by you or anyone else.&nbsp;Please rest assured that members of the Referral Board are honorable doctors who conduct their duties with the highest esteem of&nbsp;professionalism and integrities.&rdquo;<br />
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Samoa News was unable to obtain a copy of the bylaws, as the reporter was informed that they have been revised recently.<br />
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Mase also made it clear that the program is for everyone. Samoa News asked him for a comment as the referral program was reestablished by the governor for low-income families and those with critical cases that cannot be treated on island.<br />
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Mase replied, &ldquo;You are correct, except for the fact that it is for everybody.<br />
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Another issue Samoa News inquired about was the recent reimbursement of $5,000 plus to Mase who claims that he was attending to hospital business, but not recruiting.<br />
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He stated, &ldquo;Please be informed that I never said I was traveling to recruit,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;My trip was to explore avenues for funding for the hospital. I met with various funding sources both in Hawai&rsquo;i and Alaska and with further development, we expect to&nbsp;take advantage of these resources be they financially or&nbsp;otherwise.&rdquo;<br />
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Mase further stated that on July 3, 2015 in Kapolei, Hawai&rsquo;i, he met with Chairman Kauila Clark,&nbsp;current chairman&nbsp;of National Association of Alternative Health Centers of America. His next meeting was in Honolulu on July 6, 2015, where he with Joyce Clark, Deputy CEO Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Team. Mase also traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, from July 8- 10, 2015, where he says he met with Dr. Mala and Dr. Chenco of South Central Foundation Hospital and Lucy Hansen and the Board of Directors of the Polynesian Association.<br />
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He explained that on his way back he met with the CEO and Board of Elders of Hawai&rsquo;i Native, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Centers. &ldquo;These meetings were conducted in confidence and the details will be shared with the CEO and the Board.&rdquo;<br />
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Earlier this month, Board member and lawmaker, Faimealelei Anthony Allen informed the Fono, during a hearing called by Senator Tuaolo Manaia Fruean, that the Chairman of the hospital board allegedly overturned the decision by the CEO, who had denied a travel authorization request by Board Member, Dr. Tofaeono, who was traveling from San Francisco to Tennessee to recruit physicians/nurses.<br />
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In reply to Samoa News&rsquo; query, Mase replied, &ldquo;Rep. Allen does not speak for the Board, his information was not correct.&rdquo;<br />
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Another issue that hospital employees are not happy about is the traveling of board members on hospital business, such as the upcoming Pacific Island Health Officers Association (PIHOA) conference in Hawai&rsquo;i. Mase said that the CEO was to attend but &ldquo;he canceled out at the last minute and recommended that I attend.&rdquo;<br />
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The hospital board chair said, &ldquo;This is an opportunity for the Chairman to learn about PIHOA operations.&nbsp;&rdquo; Mase also made it clear that that the trip is not funded by the hospital, however it&rsquo;s paid for by PIHOA, which is a non-profit organization that is led by collective interests of the Ministers, Secretaries, and Directors of Health of the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). The USAPI include the three U.S. Flag Territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, and the three Freely Associated States (independent nations in a special compact relationship with the United States) of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk, and Yap).<br />
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PIHOA&#39;s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of USAPI communities by providing, through consensus, a unified credible voice on health issues of regional significance, according to its website.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxTue, 28 Jul 2015 17:29:07 +0000admin91357 at http://www.samoanews.com“We, the People of the Canoe” deliver united front on climate change threats http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/%E2%80%9Cwe-people-canoe%E2%80%9D-deliver-united-front-climate-change-threats
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Am. Samoa not a signee of the Taputapuatea Declaration </div>
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Joyetter Feagaimaalii-Luamanu </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>During the summit that took place in Tahiti last week of the Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG), the Taputapuatea Declaration about the main concerns of the Pacific &mdash;&nbsp;climate change and its effects &mdash; was released. Notably, American Samoa was not among those island-countries that signed the Declaration, as it did not attend.<br />
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According to Samoa&rsquo;s Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, American Samoa&rsquo;s non-attendance is &ldquo;careless.&rdquo; &nbsp;Samoa Observer reported that when speaking to the media, Tuilaepa said American Samoa has not attended several of the summits.<br />
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&ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t attended two or three of the meetings,&rdquo; said Tuilaepa. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s careless of them to miss out because these meetings are important to earn the respect (of other nations).&rdquo; Tuilaepa explained that the P.L.G&rsquo;s key agenda was to prepare a joint statement to be presented at C.O.P.21 in Paris later this year.<br />
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The main concerns of the Pacific are climate change and its effects. According to Tuilaepa having all the leaders of the Polynesian at the summit means the voices of the islands can be unified and heard by the world.<br />
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Pointing at American Samoa, Tuilaepa said the leaders should be present and seen at the summits.&ldquo; You cannot be heard and be courageous if you stay indoors,&rdquo; said Tuilaepa.<br />
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&ldquo;This is especially so if America sees that American Samoa is taking the lead but if you don&rsquo;t show up &mdash; no one respects you.&rdquo;<br />
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Other countries that are in PLG are Tonga, Tuvalu, Niue, Cook Island, Tahiti, Tuvalu, Niue, Cook Island, American Samoa, Tokelau and Tahiti, says the Samoa Observer. At the summit, the attending PLG members signed the Taputapuatea Declaration regarding Climate Change threats that affects Pacific Islands.<br />
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Samoa News obtained a copy of the declaration, which states that the Pacific islands and peoples are at the frontline of devastation from climate change, and are &ldquo;victims of climate change.&rdquo;<br />
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The declaration states: &ldquo;We must be heard. We call for justice and our right of survival. We urge the international community not only to know but also to feel our suffering, stand with us on this issue and support us in the implementation of practical solutions to ensure our survival. We, the Polynesian Leaders Group, reaffirm our intimate historic and cultural relationship with our ocean and nature.&rdquo;<br />
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It goes on to point out that &ldquo;climate change and its adverse impacts are poisoning our sea, making our lands infertile and threatening the foundation of our identity as Polynesian peoples. Our children&rsquo;s future is in doubt if the cause of climate change is not addressed and if we are unable to adapt to its impacts.&rdquo;<br />
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&ldquo;We are extremely vulnerable,&rdquo; it states. &ldquo;We state our fear that climate change could result in the forced displacement of our populations and the loss of territories with their unique natural and cultural heritage.&rdquo;<br />
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It concludes, &ldquo;We, the People of the Canoe, have managed to withstand the test of time and deal with the many challenges to adapt ourselves, build resilience and continue to exist. We are proud of being Polynesian and of our maritime heritage.&rdquo;<br />
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Samoa&rsquo;s PM Tuilaepa, Tonga&rsquo;s Minister Akilisi Pohiva, Tuvalu&rsquo;s Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga, President of French Polynesia Edouard Fritch, Premier of&nbsp;Niue and PLG Chair Toke Talagi and Ulu-o-Tokelau Siopili Perez signed the Taputapuatea Declaration.</p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxTue, 28 Jul 2015 17:24:18 +0000admin91356 at http://www.samoanews.comMana’omia se su’esu’ega a Leoleo fa’asaga mataupu Luatuahttp://www.samoanews.com/content/en/mana%E2%80%99omia-se-su%E2%80%99esu%E2%80%99ega-leoleo-fa%E2%80%99asaga-mataupu-luatua
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AF </div>
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ausage@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>Ua talosagaina e le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe o le Litaea a le malo le Komesina o le Matagaluega o le Puipuiga o le Saogalemu Lautele ia Save L. Tuitele, ina ia faia se su&rsquo;esu&rsquo;ega a leoleo fa&rsquo;asaga i le mataupu e pei ona tu&rsquo;uaia ai le Pulesili o le Ofisa o le Litaea ia Luatua Filisouaiga Ta&rsquo;afua, i lona fa&rsquo;aaoga le tatau o tupe a le Litaea a le malo, atoa ai ma le faia o isi fa&rsquo;aiuga e le tusa ai ma ona tiute tauave.<br />
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E le gata fo&rsquo;i i le talosagaina o se suesuega a leoleo fa&rsquo;asaga i lenei mataupu, ae ua talosagaina fo&rsquo;i e le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe le ali&rsquo;i Pulesili o se Kamupani Su&rsquo;etusi mai Amerika &ldquo;Paragon Wealth Management&rdquo; ia David Young, mo se avanoa latou te fa&rsquo;atautaia ai le su&rsquo;eina o tusi ma tupe a le Litaea, ona o tulaga e pei ona tu&rsquo;uaia ai le Pulesili a le Ofisa.<br />
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Na taua e le Komiti o le Litaea i le latou tusi ia Save e faapea, i le maea ai o ni a latou sailiiliga i tulaga o tupe ma gaioiga a Luatua, ua manatu ai loa le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe faatasi ai ma se fautuaga mai le alii kovana sili ia Lolo Matalasi Moliga, e talosagaina o ia ina ia talia le fautuaga, mo le faia o se suesuega e tusa ai o tu&rsquo;uaiga fa&rsquo;asaga ia Luatua, i lona fa&rsquo;aaoga e aunoa ma se fa&rsquo;atanaga o le &lsquo;Rubber Stamp&rsquo; a le Ta&rsquo;ita&rsquo;ifono o le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe ia Fanene Morris Scanlan, e lolomi ai le siaki sa totogi atu mo lona pasese, atoa ai ma le siaki sa totogi i le pisinisi o le Hardcore Cleaning and Co, o se pisinisi e le o lesitalaina fa&rsquo;aletulafono, lea sa latou fa&rsquo;atinoina galuega i le maota o le Centennial Building i Utulei, ae emo ane le ata ua teu i totonu o le teugatupe a Luatua le siaki sa totogi aga&rsquo;i i le pisinisi lea.<br />
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&ldquo;I le avea ai o i matou ma tausi mea fa&rsquo;amaoni i teugatupe a le Litaea, o le matou tiute le tatau lea ona mautinoa e ripotia gaioiga uma e le talafeagai sa faia, e ono aafia ai vaega o le teugatupe, aemaise ai lava taumafaiga e faia auala fa&rsquo;aalatua, soona fa&rsquo;aaoga le tatau tupe, ina ia mautinoa lelei o loo saogalemu tupe o le teugatupe o le litaea,&rdquo; o se vaega lea o le tusi sa tuuina atu ia Save.<br />
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&ldquo;Ona o lea tulaga, ua matou talosagaina ai le tatau lea ona amata le suesueina o lenei mataupu ia le silia ma le aso Gafua, Iulai 27, 2015.&rdquo;<br />
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&ldquo;Talu ai le ma&rsquo;ale&rsquo;ale o lenei mataupu, ua matou talosagaina ai ma le fa&rsquo;aaloalo lau lagolago, ina ia fa&rsquo;atumauina pea le maualuga ma le aloaia o le fa&rsquo;atinoina o lenei talosaga, ina ia taofia ai le faia o ni faiga fa&rsquo;alilolilo. O le a fa&rsquo;ailoa atu ia te oe tulaga uma o le a talanoaina i le fonotaga a totino o le teugatupe a le litaea, ina ia mautinoa ai le malu puipuia pea o le teugatupe.&rdquo;<br />
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Na taua e le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe o le Litaea lo latou fa&rsquo;anaunauga o loo i ai, ina ia vave mae&rsquo;a lenei suesuega ma mafai ai ona avatu le talitonuga atoatoa i le Komiti ma totino uma o le teugatupe, e fa&rsquo;aauau ai pea a latou tiute tauave mo le aga&rsquo;i i luma.<br />
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Na fa&rsquo;ai&rsquo;u le tusi sa tuuina atu i le alii Komesina, i le fa&rsquo;ailoa atu lea i ai e le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe lo latou sauni e tuuina atu fa&rsquo;amaumauga uma latou te mana&rsquo;omia, e fesoasoani ai i le latou galuega pe a amataina.<br />
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I le tusi sa tuuina atu i le ali&rsquo;i pule o le kamupani su&rsquo;etusi o le Paragon Wealth Management (PWM) ia Young, o loo talosagaina ai e le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe le manaomia o le latou fesoasoani i le su&rsquo;eina o tusi a le Teugatupe o le Litaea a Amerika Samoa, ona o ni isi o tu&rsquo;uaiga i le sese lea ona fa&rsquo;aaoga tupe ua alia&rsquo;e mai i le taimi nei.<br />
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O le kamupani su&rsquo;etusi o le PWM, o se kamupani mai le aai o Provo i le setete o Utah i Amerika, ua tele tausaga o fai paaga i galuega tau su&rsquo;etusi mo le silia i le 28 tausaga, e pei ona taua i ni faamaumauga sa maua mai i luga o le website a lea kamupani.<br />
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O sui o le Komiti Fa&rsquo;afoe o loo saini i le tusi e aofia ai Fanene le Taitaifono, Sonny L. Thompson, Aloma E. Langford ma Ueli Tonumaipe&rsquo;a, ma o le kopi o lenei tusi o loo tuuina atu i le alii kovana ia Lolo, Lutena Kovana ia Lemanu Peleti Mauga, Loia Sili ia Talauega E. Ale faapea ai sui e toalua o le Ofisa o le Kovana ia Fiu Saelua ma Iulogologo J. Pereira.</p>
Le LaliShow in SkyboxTue, 28 Jul 2015 12:15:51 +0000admin91348 at http://www.samoanews.comLuatua says retirement board has no legal authority to put him on annual leave http://www.samoanews.com/content/en/luatua-says-retirement-board-has-no-legal-authority-put-him-annual-leave
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Joyetter Feagaimaalii-Luamanu </div>
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joyetter@samoanews.com </div>
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<p>&ldquo;I object to the decision by the board to place me on annual leave as I believe the board does not have the legal authority to issue such an order,&rdquo; was the response Executive Director Luatua Filisouaiga Ta&rsquo;afua gave to the retirement board, after they sent a letter to Luatua placing him on 30 days annual leave (with pay), with today (July 27, 2015) as his last day.<br />
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The Board has asked Police Commissioner Save Liuato Tuitele to conduct an investigation into &ldquo;unauthorized use of Chairman Fanene Scanlan&rsquo;s stamp&rdquo; and alleged &ldquo;misconduct and conflict of interest.&rdquo;<br />
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In the meantime, the Board has also sent an official request to an off-island independent auditor to review all the Retirement Fund&rsquo;s accounts and transactions, due to &ldquo;the recent discovery of possible misconduct by Luatua.&rdquo;<br />
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<strong>LUATUA&rsquo;S RESPONSE TO THE BOARD ACTION</strong><br />
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The Executive director told Chairman Fanene in his letter to the Board, leaked to Samoa News that he denies &ldquo;the allegations that any wrongdoing was done in the advancement of any travel expense to myself.&rdquo;<br />
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Luatua writes, &ldquo;as most senior member of the current board, you are well familiar with board rules governing such matters,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;I refer your attention to those rules passed by the board which it has operated on for the past many years.&rdquo;<br />
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He further denies allegations of fraud and misconduct on his part relating to any checks that were paid to him. &ldquo;While I am not sure exactly what the basis for such claims are, I can assure you that at no time did I ever issue any checks with the intent to defraud the fund or harm it any way.&rdquo; He also objected to the board&rsquo;s decision to place him on leave.<br />
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&ldquo;The board has failed to identify any reasons why maintaining my current status is inadvisable and therefore, I must be allowed to return to work, especially when the board has made no initial showing of evidence that would support the allegations against me.&rdquo; Luatua told the Chairman that &ldquo;the courts have ruled that retention is the preferable choice in such matters &ldquo;unless there is a showing that it is inadvisable.<br />
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&ldquo;The board has made no such showing,&rdquo; he says, and also objects to the board&rsquo;s decision to place him on annual leave. &ldquo;I believe the board does not have the legal authority to issue such an order. As I had stated, I do insist that the rules and regulations governing employment be followed.&rdquo;<br />
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For the board to unilaterally issue such a directive would be beyond what it is empowered to do by law,&rdquo; says Luatua in his letter.<br />
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In conclusion he asked the board to reconsider and set aside its decision to place him on annual leave for 30 days.<br />
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<strong>BOARD&rsquo;S DECISION TO PLACE LUATUA ON ANNUAL LEAVE</strong><br />
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Last Wednesday, the board sent a letter signed by the Chairman Fanene Scanlan, Aloma Langford, Ueli Tonumaipe&rsquo;a, Sonny L Thompson and Maae Bob Tuiasosopo, which was leaked to Samoa News, informing Luatua that &ldquo;effective Monday July 27, 2105&rdquo; the board of trustees were placing him on annual leave for 30 days.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The letter states, &ldquo;This will allow the Chairman and the board of trustees an opportunity to conduct a factual investigation against serious allegations of misconduct and conflict of interest during your tenure and performance as Executive Director for the unauthorized use of Chairman Scanlan&rsquo;s stamp for the following; checks made out to Executive Director Ta&rsquo;afua for travel advances; and checks made out to unregistered business-Hardcore Cleaning and Star Co, &hellip;for the Centennial building yet were in turn deposited by vendors to Executive Director Ta&rsquo;afua&rsquo;s personal checking account.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The board members say that it&rsquo;s &ldquo;their duty to investigate all reports of misconduct, fraud, waste, and abuse&rdquo; to ensure the integrity of the fund.<br />
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The board further told Luatua that given the sensitive nature of the &ldquo;exploratory stages of the investigation, we respectfully solicit your support to maintain the highest standard of professional conduct in the administration of duties and due diligence to prohibit any breach of confidentiality.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The board further wrote that it&rsquo;s their hope that a review of factual findings is completed expeditiously and that would allow the board to assess the severity of the alleged misconduct for appropriate action and response. &ldquo;We will notify you accordingly if any extension to your 30-day leave is warranted based on the progress and review of our findings.&rdquo;<br />
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<strong>REQUEST FOR INDEPENDENT AUDITORS</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
In the meantime, the retirement board has asked CEO of Paragon Wealth Management, David Young, an Independent Auditor, to conduct an audit as recommended by the governor.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The letter was signed by all board members except Tofala Iafeta and Beaver Ho Ching who are off island, as well as Maae who was &ldquo;unavailable for signature,&rdquo; according to the letter that was leaked to Samoa News.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The letter that was sent last Friday to Young stated that in consultation with the board of trustees and with the recommendation by the governor, &ldquo;please accept this official correspondence to solicit your services and support to conduct a full in-depth Investment Management Review and Oversight Audit of all accounts and transactions of the American Samoa Retirement Fund due to the recent discovery of possible misconduct by Luatua.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The board further informed Young that they&rsquo;ve authorized the police to conduct an investigation into the allegations of &ldquo;fraud, waste, and abuse and will also serve as your resource in your efforts.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The board further asked Young to act on the request right away. &ldquo;Given the sensitive nature of our request, and the allegations levied against the Executive Director of (alleged) misconduct, the board of trustees hopes to initiate this review at the earliest convenience.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The letter goes on to say that as &ldquo;stewards charged with the oversight and administration of the Employees Retirement Fund, it is their fiduciary duty to ensure that all reports of misconduct, fraud, waste and abuse are taken seriously to ensure the financial integrity and stability of the fund are not compromised.<br />
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It concludes, &ldquo;It is our hope that a review of factual findings is completed expeditiously to allow the board of trustees an opportunity to assess the severity of the alleged misconduct for appropriate action and response.&rdquo;<br />
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<em>(A Google search of Paragon Wealth Management company says it is a registered investment advisor (RIA) located in Provo, Utah.)</em></p>
Local NewsShow in SkyboxMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:08:16 +0000admin91334 at http://www.samoanews.com